The present invention relates to a surface inspection apparatus of spherical matter such as steel balls, other metal balls, ceramic balls, spherical stones, plastic balls and the like.
Hitherto, for surface flaw detection or roundness inspection of spherical matter such as steel balls, generally, light was emitted to the surface of the spherical matter, and the reflected light was detected by a photo sensor.
In such detection, there has been a demand for detection of plural positions on the surface of spherical matter to enhance the precision of inspection.
To meet such demand, it has been possible to inspect plural positions by one inspection job by using multiple sensors and disposing sensors at different positions on the spherical matter.
If, however, it is desired to inspect each position on the surface of the spherical matter within a wide range by using multiple sensors, sensors cannot be disposed at the bottom of the spherical matter, for example, because it is supported on a holder or a table, which gives rise to the necessity of inspecting again by turning the spherical matter upside down after inspecting the upper hemisphere of the spherical matter. If such job is done manually each time, it is impossible to inspect a large quantity of spherical samples efficiently. It is hence a primary object of the invention to solve such problems.